Advent
December 14, 2014
Scripture Reading: John 1:6-8, 19-28 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord” ’, as the prophet Isaiah said. — John 1:19-23
A strange new preacher had moved to town and was attracting a lot of attention. He was even baptizing. The religious leaders of the community being concerned, went to check his credentials and he quoted their own scripture, Isaiah 40:3, to them.
While in graduate school learning the ropes of being a social worker, I had the privilege to do one of my field placements in the office of a woman who was pretty remarkable. She was quiet and unassuming but she had a power that was not readily turned back. She headed an office that was assigned to develop services for the aging under the Older Americans Act. It required input from the community to formulate plans for the use of the funding and she took that requirement very literally. An Aging Council made up of local people who were senior citizens was created and trained in the work that was to be done. They took their jobs very seriously and developed a plan that they felt would best meet the needs of their population while using the available funding wisely. Local politicians had other ideas about how the money was to be spent. They had been caught off guard and had not been contacted to fill the Aging Council with their selected representatives. The Aging Council did include some very powerful people though whose main concern was the senior citizens. The plan they developed was implemented. It angered the politicians, but that is another story. She had followed not only the letter of the law but the spirit of the law also.
John, the Baptist, had drawn the assignment to make straight the way for the coming of the Messiah. His whole life was totally focused on that tasks. He was preaching to the choir as they say, but he was telling the old, old story in ways that had been lost on some of the leaders of the temple. They asked him, who are you? Probably more of a challenge with a bit of a tone that suggested he did not have the authority to be speaking for God.
As church leaders and members, I think that is a question we might want to ask ourselves. Are we focused on what God is calling us to do? Are any of us or all of us not called to cry out against the wilderness of a society lost in greed, injustice, racism, domestic violence, human trafficking and terrorism? Are any of us focused on introducing people lost in these gaps to the one who has come to save us and to show us a better way? Who am I; what am I called to do? Who are we; what are we called to do together? We are no less than the Body of Christ in the world today. We need to work toward oneness among ourselves that will lead to justice for all.
Prayer: Lord the world needs many voices crying together countering the ways of greed and hate. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage, For the facing of this hour*. Amen.